Russian hackers targeted a mill in the Marne

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Cyberattack: Russian hackers targeted a mill in the Marne
The Sandworm group, elite Russian hackers, attacked a mill that produces electricity. The attack, small in scale, caused little damage.
(France 2)

The Sandworm group, elite Russian hackers, attacked a mill that produces electricity. The attack, small in scale, caused little damage.

On March 2, Russian hackers published a video, spotted by the newspaper The world. In it, they claim responsibility for the attack on a French hydroelectric power station. The hackers film their sabotage: an intrusion into computer systems which allows them to open valves remotely. In reality, the intrusion took place in another site, much less strategic, in a small mill in the Marne which provides little electricity.

A small-scale attack

The water would have risen by around twenty centimeters, without causing any further damage. These hackers reportedly belong to an elite troop who work for the Ministry of Defense in Moscow. This is the Sandworm group, led by a spy wanted by the FBI. For ten years, members of this group have attacked electrical installations in Ukraine, they infiltrated the messaging of Emmanuel Macron, who was then a candidate, and disrupted Olympic communications in South Korea.

In France, specialists are wondering about the point of publishing this video of a small-scale attack. “The important thing for them is that it is broadcast, that the rumor can spread”explains Damien Bancal, cyberintelligence specialist, founder of the site Zataz.com


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